Start-up uses drones to maintain wind turbines
Summary
Despite the hoopla generated by Amazons announcement that it would like to deliver parcels by drone at some point, the most successful initial application of the technology has been much more humdrum. Utility companies are believed to spend millions each year inspecting power lines, with many of them in very hard to reach areas. "Our proprietary control, featuring space awareness sensors, enables the UAV to fly in relation to the blade making precise sweeps and collecting the data automatically. The technology allows companies to conduct a full inspection of a wind turbine in under an hour, with Pro-Drone working to streamline this down to 30 minutes eventually. "We are at a very exciting stage of our development with several pilots across many countries planned in the following months, with the first one starting next week with EDP Renewables," Moura says.